The Bucs and Saints had plenty of drama between their players on the field in Tampa Bay’s 20-10 win in New Orleans on Sunday. That drama has spilled over into the front office as well.
Some in the national media, including Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, took exception to the fact that former head coach Bruce Arians was on the sidelines in the Bucs’ win over the Saints. Florio’s article states that the NFL was looking into all the aspects of Arians’ role in the game.
Arians is the senior advisor to general manager Jason Licht. He is part of the front office and is no longer a member of the coaching staff, although he is seen regularly at practice in his golf cart. For the Bucs first game, Arians was seen in a private box at AT&T Stadium for their 19-3 win against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
But his view of the game was much closer last Sunday during the ruckus that came about in the Bucs’ victory that gave them a 2-0 record to start the year.
Bowles Gives Explanation For Arians Being On Bucs Sidelines
Why was Arians on the sideline for the Saints game as opposed to being up in a private box again? Apparently it had to do with the amount of seating, according to Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.
“He’s always upstairs,” Bowles said. “They didn’t have a box to give us this game, so everybody that was upstairs were downstairs.”
While Arians watches from up top, Bowles also confirmed that Licht is always on the sidelines.
“Jason’s always downstairs, Bruce is always upstairs,” Bowles said.
We can’t put a bow in this story just yet until we hear from the Saints’ side of things. According to Saints ESPN reporter Katherine Terrell, the Bucs front office staff was given seats, however, they were in the press box as opposed to their own private box.
As The Athletic’s Greg Auman points out, the Caesars Superdome only has so many boxes available, and the fact that the game was on national radio caused for even less seating.
Because of that, Tampa Bay’s staff opted to view the game with the rest of the game players on the sidelines rather than the Bucs’ brass have private, in-game conversations overheard by the media in the press box.
Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds notes that the Bucs offer opponents’ general managers and personnel executives a private box to watch the game in at Raymond James Stadium.
There is no shortage of controversy between the Bucs and Saints whether it’s on the field, the sidelines – or the press box– involving players, coaches or personnel executives it seems.
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